ACTIn ForceAct
Commercial Arbitration Act 2017
27BRefusal or failure to attend before arbitral tribunal or to
Start here
Get a plain-English read of 27B
Turn the raw legal text into a practical explanation grounded in Commercial Arbitration Act 2017.
27B Refusal or failure to attend before arbitral tribunal or to
produce document
(1) For this section, a person is a person in default in relation to
proceedings before an arbitral tribunal under an arbitration agreement
if the person fails to—
(a) attend before the arbitral tribunal for examination when required
under a subpoena or by the arbitral tribunal to do so; or
Part 5 Conduct of arbitral proceedings
Section 27B
page 34 Commercial Arbitration Act 2017
Effective: 02/07/19
R3
02/07/19
Authorised by the ACT Parliamentary Counsel—also accessible at www.legislation.act.gov.au
(b) produce a document that the person is required under a subpoena
or by the arbitral tribunal to produce; or
(c) when appearing as a witness before the arbitral tribunal—
(i) take an oath or to make an affirmation or affidavit when
required by the arbitral tribunal to do so; or
(ii) answer a question that the witness is required by the
arbitral tribunal to answer; or
(d) do any other thing which the arbitral tribunal may require.
Note Fail includes refuse (see Legislation Act, dict, pt 1).
(2) Unless otherwise agreed by the parties, the court may, on the
application of a party or the arbitral tribunal, order a person in default
to do any or all of the following:
(a) attend the court to be examined as a witness;
(b) produce the relevant document to the court;
(c) do the relevant thing.
(3) A party may only make an application to the court under
subsection (2) with the permission of the arbitral tribunal.
(4) The court must not make an order under subsection (2) in relation to
a person who is not a party to the arbitral proceedings unless—
(a) before the order is made, the person is given an opportunity to
make representations to the court; and
(b) the court is satisfied that it is reasonable in all the circumstances
to make the order.
(5) A person must not be compelled under an order made under
subsection (2) to answer any question or produce any document
which the person could not be compelled to answer or produce in a
proceeding before the court.
Conduct of arbitral proceedings Part 5
Section 27C
R3
02/07/19
Commercial Arbitration Act 2017
Effective: 02/07/19
page 35
Authorised by the ACT Parliamentary Counsel—also accessible at www.legislation.act.gov.au
(6) If the court makes an order under subsection (2), it may in addition
make orders for the transmission to the arbitral tribunal of any of the
following:
(a) a record of any evidence given under the order;
(b) any document produced under the order or a copy of any such
document;
(c) particulars of any thing done under the order.
(7) Any evidence, document or thing transmitted under subsection (6) is
taken to have been given, produced or done (as the case requires) in
the course of the arbitral proceedings.
Note There is no equivalent to this section in the Model Law.